Pearl Harbor Survivor Ike Schab Dies at 105

Ira "Ike" Schab, a World War II Navy veteran and one of the last surviving witnesses to the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died on Saturday at his home in Beaverton, Oregon. He was 105.

Schab passed away peacefully early that morning, surrounded by family, including his daughter Kimberlee Heinrichs and her husband, according to Heinrichs. A statement from the USS Arizona Memorial noted that he died while listening to swing music. His death leaves roughly a dozen survivors from the surprise assault on December 7, 1941, which claimed the lives of more than 2,400 American service members and civilians and drew the United States into the war.

Born on July 4, 1920, in Chicago as the eldest of three brothers, Schab joined the Navy at age 18, following his father's footsteps. At 21, he served as a tuba player in the band aboard the USS Dobbin, a repair ship docked in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. What began as a quiet Sunday morning turned chaotic when Japanese aircraft struck without warning. Schab had just showered and put on a fresh uniform, anticipating a visit from his brother, who worked at a nearby naval radio station.

Hearing a call for help with fire rescue, Schab rushed topside...